Echinacea plant named ‘Hilmooocosy’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Echinacea  plant named ‘Hilmooocosy’, characterized by its upright and relatively compact plant habit; moderately vigorous growth habit; strong and healthy roots; dark green-colored leaves; strong flowering stems; numerous large inflorescences with dark pink-colored ray florets; and good garden performance.

Botanical designation: Echinacea purpurea.

Cultivar denomination: ‘HILMOOOCOSY’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Echinacea plant, botanically known as Echinacea purpurea, and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Hilmooocosy’.

The new Echinacea plant is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in De Kwakel, The Netherlands. The objective of the breeding program is to develop new strong and freely flowering Echinacea plants with attractive ray and disc floret coloration.

The new Echinacea plant originated from an open-pollination in June, 2009 in De Kwakel, The Netherlands of a proprietary selection of Echinacea purpurea identified as code designation T 14061 A, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with an unknown selection of Echinacea purpurea as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Echinacea plant was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant from within the progeny of the stated open-pollination grown in a controlled greenhouse environment in De Kwakel, The Netherlands in July, 2010.

Asexual reproduction of the new Echinacea plant by in vitro meristem culture in a controlled environment in De Kwakel, The Netherlands since September, 2010 has shown that the unique features of this new Echinacea plant are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the new Echinacea have been observed under all possible combinations of environmental conditions and cultural practices. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environmental conditions such as temperature and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Hilmooocosy’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Hilmooocosy’ as a new and distinct Echinacea plant:

-   -   1. Upright and relatively compact plant habit.     -   2. Moderately vigorous growth habit.     -   3. Strong and healthy roots.     -   4. Dark green-colored leaves.     -   5. Strong flowering stems.     -   6. Numerous large inflorescences with dark pink-colored ray         florets.     -   7. Good garden performance.

Plants of the new Echinacea can be compared to plants of the female parent selection. Plants of the new Echinacea differ from plants of the female parent selection in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Echinacea are more compact than plants of         the female parent selection.     -   2. Plants of the new Echinacea have smaller leaves than plants         of the female parent selection.     -   3. Plants of the new Echinacea have smaller inflorescences than         plants of the female parent selection.     -   4. Ray florets of plants of the new Echinacea are lighter pink         in color than ray florets of plants of the female parent         selection.

Plants of the new Echinacea can be compared to plants of Echinacea purpurea ‘Kim's Knee High’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 12,242. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in De Kwakel, The Netherlands, plants of the new Echinacea differed primarily from plants of ‘Kim's Knee High’ in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Echinacea were more compact than plants of         ‘Kim's Knee High’.     -   2. Plants of the new Echinacea had stronger and healthier roots         and leaves than plants of ‘Kim's Knee High’.     -   3. Plants of the new Echinacea were more freely branching than         plants of ‘Kim's Knee High’.     -   4. Plants of the new Echinacea had smaller inflorescences than         plants of ‘Kim's Knee High’.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPH

The accompanying photograph illustrates the overall appearance of the new Echinacea plant showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photograph may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors of the new Echinacea plant.

The photograph is a side perspective view of a typical flowering plant of ‘Hilmooocosy’ grown in a container.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The aforementioned photograph and following observations and measurements describe plants grown during the spring and early summer in 17-cm containers in a glass-covered greenhouse and “finished” in an outdoor nursery in De Kwakel, The Netherlands under cultural practices typically used in commercial Echinacea production. During the production of the plants, day temperatures ranged from 12° C. to 20° C. and night temperatures ranged from 7° C. to 15° C. Plants used for the photograph and description were 20 weeks old. In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 2007 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

-   Botanical classification: Echinacea purpurea ‘Hilmooocosy’. -   Parentage:     -   -   Female parent.—Proprietary selection of Echinacea purpurea             identified as code designation T 14061 A, not patented.         -   Male parent.—Unknown selection of Echinacea purpurea, not             patented. -   Propagation:     -   -   Type.—By in vitro meristem culture.         -   Time to initiate roots, summer.—About five weeks at             temperatures about 20° C. for the first two weeks, then at             temperatures about 12° C. to 14° C.         -   Time to initiate roots, winter.—About six weeks at             temperatures about 20° C. for the first two weeks, then at             temperatures about 14° C. to 20° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted young plant, summer.—About five             weeks at temperatures about 14° C. to 20° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted young plant, winter.—About six             weeks at temperatures about 18° C.         -   Root description.—Medium in thickness, fibrous; strong and             healthy; typically white to brown in color, actual color of             the roots is dependent on substrate composition, water             quality, fertilizer type and formulation, substrate             temperature and physiological age of roots.         -   Rooting habit.—Moderately freely branching; medium density. -   Plant description:     -   -   Plant form and growth habit.—Herbaceous perennial; upright             and relatively compact plant habit, narrow inverted             triangle; freely branching habit with about 17 branches             developing per plant; moderately vigorous growth habit.         -   Plant height.—About 41 cm.         -   Plant diameter or spread.—About 33 cm.         -   Lateral branches.—Length: About 21.5 cm. Diameter: About             8 mm. Internode length: About 2.2 cm. Aspect: Erect to about             10° from vertical. Strength: Strong. Texture: Sparsely             pubescent, strigose; rough. Color: Close to 200A to 200B. -   Leaf description:     -   -   Basal leaves.—Arrangement: Alternate, simple. Length: About             11 cm. Width: About 3.9 cm. Shape: Narrowly ovate. Apex:             Acute. Base: Long attenuate. Margin: Entire; moderately             undulate. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Moderately to             densely pubescent, strigose; rough. Luster, upper surface:             Slightly glossy. Luster, lower surface: Moderately glossy.             Venation pattern: Pinnate. Color: Developing leaves, upper             surface: Close to between N137B and 143A. Developing leaves,             lower surface: Close to between 146A to 147B. Fully expanded             leaves, upper surface: Close to between N137A to 147A;             venation, close to 177A slightly tinged with close to 152C.             Fully expanded leaves, lower surface: Close to between 146A             and 147B; venation, close to 145B.         -   Petioles, basal leaves.—Length: About 3.7 cm. Diameter:             About 4 mm. Strength: Strong, flexible. Texture, upper and             lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous. Color, upper surface:             Close to 177A; margins, close to N137B. Color, lower             surface: Close to 144B; margins, close to N137A.         -   Cauline leaves.—Arrangement: Alternate, simple. Length:             About 5.5 cm. Width: About 2.2 cm. Shape: Narrowly ovate.             Apex: Narrowly acute. Base: Attenuate. Margin: Entire.             Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Moderately to densely             pubescent, strigose; rough. Luster, upper surface: Slightly             glossy. Luster, lower surface: Moderately glossy. Venation             pattern: Pinnate. Color: Developing leaves, upper surface:             Close to between N137B and 143A. Developing leaves, lower             surface: Close to between 146A and 147B. Fully expanded             leaves, upper surface: Close to between N137A and 147A;             venation, close to 177A slightly tinged with close to 152C.             Fully expanded leaves, lower surface: Close to between 146A             and 147B; venation, close to 145B.         -   Petioles, cauline leaves.—Length: About 8 mm. Diameter:             About 2 mm. Strength: Strong, flexible. Texture, upper and             lower surfaces: Moderately to densely pubescent; rough.             Color, upper surface: Close to between N137A and 147A.             Color, lower surface: Close to between 146A and 147B. -   Inflorescence description:     -   -   Appearance.—Terminal rotate single-type inflorescences with             ray and disc florets arranged on a capitulum; inflorescences             positioned upright above the foliar plane on mostly upright             and strong peduncles.         -   Flowering habit.—Freely flowering habit with about 17             inflorescences per plant at one time.         -   Fragrance.—Faint; sweet, pleasant.         -   Time to flower.—Plants begin flowering about 13 to 18 weeks             after planting; in the garden, plants flower continuously             from mid-June to late September in The Netherlands.         -   Inflorescence longevity.—Inflorescences maintain good             substance for about three weeks on the plant; inflorescences             persistent.         -   Inflorescence buds.—Height: About 1.9 cm. Diameter: About             3 cm. Shape: Flattened globular. Color: Involucral bracts,             close to 143A and 137B; ray florets, close to 52B, towards             the base, close to 150C.         -   Inflorescence size.—Diameter: About 8.5 cm. Depth (height):             About 3.2 cm. Disc diameter: About 3.4 cm. Receptacle             height: About 1.5 cm. Receptacle diameter: About 1.1 cm.             Receptacle color: Close to 155C slightly tinged with close             to 64A to 64B.         -   Ray florets.—Quantity and arrangement: About 18 arranged in             a single whorl at the base of the receptacle. Length: About             3.8 cm. Width: About 1.2 cm. Shape: Oblanceolate to narrowly             ovate. Apex: Praemorse. Base: Cuneate. Margin: Entire.             Texture, upper surface: Smooth, glabrous; moderately             velvety. Texture, lower surface: Smooth, glabrous. Luster,             upper surface: Matte. Luster, lower surface: Slightly             glossy. Aspect: Horizontal to drooping, about 10° from             horizontal. Color: When opening, upper surface: Close to             67A; towards the apex, close to 67B; towards the base, close             to 61B. When opening, lower surface: Close to 59D. Fully             opened, upper surface: Close to 64B; towards the base, close             to 61B; color becoming closer to 64C to 64D with             development. Fully opened, lower surface: Close to 60C to             60D; color becoming closer to 60D with development.         -   Disc florets.—Length: About 6 mm. Diameter: About 3.5 mm.             Shape: Tubular, apices acute. Number of disc florets per             inflorescence: About 400. Texture, inner and outer surfaces:             Smooth, glabrous. Luster, inner and outer surfaces: Glossy.             Color, immature, inner and outer surfaces: Apex: Close to             144B tinged with close to 180B. Mid-section: Close to 152C.             Base: Close to 144B. Color, mature, inner and outer             surfaces: Apex and mid-section: Close to 182B tinged with             close to 181A. Base: Close to 146D.         -   Receptacle spines.—Quantity: One per disc floret. Shape:             Acicular. Apex: Narrowly acute. Base: Attenuate. Texture:             Smooth, glabrous. Luster: Glossy. Color: Apex: Close to N30B             to N30C; at the apex, close to 46A. Mid-section: Close to             143B. Base: Close to 145B.         -   Involucral bracts.—Quantity per inflorescence: About 64             arranged in about four whorls. Length: About 9 mm. Width:             About 3 mm. Shape: Ovate to narrowly ovate. Apex: Acute.             Base: Cuneate. Margin: Entire. Texture, upper surface:             Smooth, glabrous. Texture, lower surface: Moderately to             densely pubescent. Color, upper surface: Close to 146A.             Color, lower surface: Close to 138A.         -   Peduncles.—Length: About 12.2 cm. Diameter: About 6 mm.             Strength: Strong. Aspect: Upright. Texture: Moderately             pubescent, strigose. Color: Close to 200C tinged with close             to 146A.         -   Reproductive organs.—Androecium (present on ray and disc             florets): Quantity per floret: About five. Filament length:             About 6 mm. Filament color: Close to 150D. Anther shape:             Narrowly oblong. Anther length: About 3 mm. Anther color:             Close to N200A to N200B. Pollen amount: Scarce. Pollen             color: Close to 17B. Gynoecium (present only on disc             florets): Quantity per floret: One. Pistil length: About             7 mm. Stigma shape: Decurrent, unequal. Stigma color: Close             to 187A. Style length: About 5.5 mm. Style color: Close to             185A. Ovary color: Close to 145D. Seeds and fruits: Seed and             fruit development have not been observed on plants of the             new Echinacea. -   Disease & pest resistance: Plants of the new Echinacea have not been     shown to be resistant to pathogens and pests common to Echinacea. -   Garden performance: Plants of the new Echinacea have exhibited good     garden performance and to tolerate rain and wind. Plants of the new     Echinacea have been observed to tolerate high temperatures of about     35° C. and to be hardy to USDA Hardiness Zones 3 to 4. 

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct Echinacea plant named ‘Hilmooocosy’ as illustrated and described. 